The University of Nottingham - 'Twin' Robin Hood statue given to China

The University of Nottingham - 'Twin' Robin Hood statue given to China Education Articles

An "iconic" statue of Robin Hood near Nottingham Castle is being recast and given to Nottingham's sister city in China.

Relatives of original sculptor James Woodford said he "would have been very pleased"

An "iconic" statue of Robin Hood near Nottingham Castle is being recast and given to Nottingham's sister city in China.

Since being unveiled in 1952 the statue has been a popular tourist spot and featured in countless celebrity photo-shoots and television links.

The replica will be flown out to the city of Ningbo, which already has a University of Nottingham campus.

The gift is in return for Nottingham being given two Chinese guardian lions.

Relatives of the original sculptor, the late James Woodford, have given their full support.

His son, also called James, said: "The family is delighted that one of my father's most iconic works is to be perpetuated in this way and I am sure my father would have been very pleased."

Members of the public will be able to watch while the mould is made by Richard Arm, flexural composites research fellow at Nottingham Trent University.

The moulding process will clean the original statue and leave it looking as it did when it was first cast.

Work to create a mould will start on Monday and is expected to take between four and six days

The University of Nottingham became the first foreign university to establish an independent campus in China, which opened to students in 2004.

The campus in Ningbo mirrors that of Nottingham, complete with lake and its own version of Nottingham's famous Trent Building.

Nottingham City Council leader Jon Collins said: "This gift reinforces the very close bond we have forged with the city of Ningbo which is to the mutual benefit of both cities, our citizens and our business communities."

The statue will be unveiled during the Nottingham trade mission to Ningbo, from 2 to 11 November.

The wrong hat?

Countless people have posed by the statue, including a nude Penthouse model and Olympic torchbearer Barbara Green

The statue was gifted to Nottingham by local businessman Philip E F Clay at a cost of £5,000.

Royal Academy sculptor James Woodford created a stocky figure that depicted how historians believed medieval foresters from the period would have looked.

However, the public were expecting an Errol Flynn-type interpretation, sporting a pointed cap with a jaunty feather.

A debate was born that continues to this day, with complaints being made about Robin's headgear being an authentic leather skullcap rather than the triangular felted hat that Flynn wore.

People to have posed for photos by the statue include a nude Penthouse model in 1986 and football manager Brian Clough when he was given the Freedom of the City.